ASIAN MORNING BRIEF 09/02: Base metals mostly recover in LME trading; cobalt, lithium consumers prepaying for metal in expectation of strong EV sector demand; selenium prices jump due to tightness

The latest news and price moves to start the Asian day on Friday February 9.

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange mostly recovered from early morning lows at the close on Thursday February 8, but copper prices remained downbeat. Read more in our live futures report.

Here are how LME prices looked at Thursday’s close:

Consumers of cobalt and lithium are expecting strong demand from the electric vehicle market, which is why they are prepaying for metal, Metal Bulletin has learned.

Selenium prices are at their highest level since May 2017, reportedly due to continued material tightness and a healthy appetite from Asian consumers.

Brazilian copper products producer Paranapanema has returned to profitability from a year-earlier loss.

Meanwhile, Brazilian bauxite exports are down nearly 50% year on year, largely due to lower shipments from Mineração Rio do Norte.

CME Group’s US Midwest No. 1 busheling futures contract reached 1,425 lots – 28,500 gross tons – on Wednesday, up from 575 lots the previous day.

European steel association Eurofer is concerned that definitive anti-dumping duties set on corrosion-resistant steel from China will not stop shipments of dumped material.

Dana Steel is installing a hot-dipped galvanized line and pre-painted galvanized coil line in Dubai, which is expected to add 400,000 tonnes per year of coated steel output, a company executive told Metal Bulletin. 

Vedanta is attempting to assess “the financial and operational impact” of the Indian Supreme Court’s decision to cancel all iron ore mining leases in the southern state of Goa.

What to read next
The Mexico Metals Outlook 2025 conference explored challenges and opportunities in the steel, aluminum and scrap markets, focusing on tariffs, nearshoring, capacity growth and global trends.
China has launched a coordinated crackdown on the illegal export of strategic minerals under export control, such as antimony, gallium, germanium, tungsten and rare earths, the country’s Ministry of Commerce announced on Friday May 9.
Fastmarkets proposes to amend the frequency of Taiwan base metals prices from biweekly to monthly, and the delivery timing for the tin 99.99% ingot premium from two weeks to four weeks.
The US-China trade truce announced on May 12 has brought cautious optimism to China’s non-ferrous metals markets, signaling a possible shift in global trade. Starting May 14, the removal of additional tariffs has impacted sectors like battery raw materials, minor metals and base metals such as zinc and nickel, with mixed reactions. While the improved sentiment has lifted futures prices and trade activity, the long-term effects remain unclear due to challenges like supply-demand pressures and export controls.
The publication of Fastmarkets’ assessments of Shanghai bonded aluminium, zinc and nickel stocks for April 30 were delayed because of a reporter error. Fastmarkets’ pricing database has been updated. The data effective for April 30 was published on May 7 as a result. The following assessments were affected:Shanghai aluminium bonded stocksShanghai zinc bonded stocksShanghai nickel […]
Global physical copper cathodes premiums were mixed in the week to Tuesday April 15, with US market moving down, Europe rising and Asia holding largely steady.